


The Hidden Agenda

by arkhams_misfit



Category: Banana Bus Squad, Hidden Agenda (Video Game 2017)
Genre: -----, -------, --------, Bryce McQuaid is Officer Montesinos, Cartoonz is Simon Hillary, Delirious is Jonathan Finn, Evan is Becky Marney, Gen, I know this might as well be poly bbs, JackSepticEye is Rupert Walsh, M/M, Marcel is Jack Calvary, Markiplier is Father Romiski, NO SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS PLEASE AND THANK YOU, Nogla is Judge Vanstone, Ohm is Felicity Graves, Pewdiepie is Lana Petty, Sattelizer is the dude Simon was talking to in the second chapter, SeaNanners is LeMay, Sorry he doesn’t have a name, THIS GAME IS LIT, Tags will change as the story progresses, Terroriser is Sergeant Riggs, TheRPGMinx is Catherine Hope, Tyler is Tom Nelson, YALL PLAY IT, but oh well
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2019-03-07 16:03:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13438302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arkhams_misfit/pseuds/arkhams_misfit
Summary: "Officer Tyler Wine here, Evan Fong and I are on our way to the scene, over.""Extreme caution advised. Suspect description matches Jonathan Smith."Both of their eyes widened. Jonathan Smith was a common subject of conversations in the third precinct. He was wanted, suspected to have done the evil deeds of the Trapper."Son of a bitch," Just the thought of the delirious killer taking any more lives made Evan's blood boil.---This fic is based off 'The Hidden Agenda' however the plot won't be a carbon copy of the game.I'm bad at summaries, I swear the fic is better than the blurb.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This work is heavily based off Hidden Agenda.  
> I suggest you to read the actual summary of the game before proceeding with this fic just to get the gist of the story.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan Fong and Tyler Wine are two detectives in charge of the Trapper's case and were trained under the infamous Becky Marney. They are well known for their impeccable work ethic and resilient personalities.
> 
> Ryan Maskirovat is a district attorney who trained under Felicity Graves and decided to make her death a motivation to help and close the case of the Trapper once and for all. He is well known for giving out well fitting penalties and his fair judgement.
> 
> Jonathan Smith has been wanted for years being the only real and primary suspect connected to the Trapper case. He is famous for being a survivor of the Las Palmas fire and ever since then, has been on the run from the law; but his long adventure was halted abruptly upon being compromised.

_"Any cars in the vicinity of 535 Meeker: 10:31, possible hostage situation."_

Tyler looked over at Evan who was still driving and they both shared a knowing look.

"We're not too far away," says Evan and Tyler just nodded in response.

"Officer Tyler Wine here, Evan Fong and I are on our way to the scene, over."

_"Extreme caution advised. The suspect description matches Jonathan Smith."_

Both of their eyes widened. Jonathan Smith was a common subject of conversations in the third precinct. He was wanted, suspected to have done the evil deeds of the Trapper.

"Son of a bitch," Just the thought of the delirious killer taking any more lives made Evan's blood boil.

Evan tightened his grip on the steering wheel as he turned left to the address given to him by the dispatcher. So many first responders lost their lives to the hands of the Trapper and Evan loathed the thought of him taking another one of their own. His former partner, Becky Marney, was one of the greatest cops he's ever worked with in his entire career; she caught criminals left and right, even sent a few to death rows and most importantly, she was the one in charge of the Trapper's case.

She was so close to apprehending the root of the problem, but everything she's ever worked for was lost all because of some stupid tripwire.

Evan was broken out of his trance when he felt a hand ruffle his hair. He gazed over to the side, looking at Tyler's all-knowing expression. 

"Chill out. If it really is him then let's not miss this opportunity to capture the bastard," Tyler grinned.

"Yeah, you're right."

Not too long after, they found themselves parking in front of a run-down house. The front garden was unkempt and the overgrown grass showed the signs of abandonment but the booming hip-hop music coming from the inside said so otherwise.

The two started to approach the house and looked around the vicinity. Tyler pulled out his gun from the holster and Evan did the same.

"What's the play, Ev?" Tyler smirked and Evan rolled his eyes at the other man.

"None of this feels right, let's scope the area out." Evan's response earned a nod form the other officer and they both walked towards the alley in between the fence and the house. Evan led the way with Tyler close following behind him.

They found an open window and Tyler called Evan over.

"Hey Evan," he called out in a hushed whisper and Evan looked at him, "Split up?"

"Yeah, I'll take the door behind the back."

"Windows are mine. See you in there"

As soon as they split up, Evan was twice as cautious and attentive to his surroundings. He knew that them not being together in a situation like this put them in a vulnerable position but jobs like this needed risks to be taken. The quicker they search the area, the faster they can evade danger.

Evan peeked around the corner of the house, looking for possible signs of life and he found none. Deciding it was safe enough to proceed, he walked towards the open door he spotted and shone his flashlight inside; there wasn't much to look at, just crooked paintings on the walls and broken furniture. Just as he was about to step inside, he looked down and pointed his flashlight at his feet. He could barely make it out in the poor lighting but by his ankles was an obvious tripwire that could've ended his life right then and there.

A bead of sweat rolled down his temples. _'I knew that was way too convenient'_

He stepped over the wire and moved forward but halted his tracks when he heard the muffled sound of a woman screaming past the loud music. He flinched slightly but decided to investigate the source of the sound. As he walked down the corridor, the music got louder and he stopped in front of a door left ajar. He pressed his back up against the wall, deciding to peek inside the room and what he saw made his skin crawl. There was a young woman tied to the bed clearly against her will and fear was apparent on her face as a manly figure approached her.

The lighting inside was only focused on the bed and the rest of the room was almost pitch black. Evan squinted as he tried to make out his surroundings and an object caught his eyes.

It was a mouse trap and upon realizing this, his body froze and his heart skipped a beat. Mouse traps were always in the crime scenes linked to him, possibly his sick way of letting people know his footsteps had been in the area.

Evan decided to stay behind the wall and pull out his radio, "Tyler, he's in here," he said in the calmest voice he could muster and as if on cue, the said man rounded the corner and leaned against the wall on the other side of the door.

Tyler's piercing gaze met Evan's and he nodded to the door. Evan took a deep breath in and kicked the door open with as much force as he could. The black-haired man inside the room looked over to their direction upon hearing the commotion caused by the two officers and audibly clicked his tongue as he glared at the hostage.

"Freeze!" Evan yelled.

"Hands up! Hands up now!" Tyler growled.

Finally, after years of being in pursuit of the heinous trapper, they finally had him compromised.

"Hands behind your head, no sudden moves!" Tyler warned and the tension in the room doubled.

Blue eyes met hazel ones and Jonathan raised his hands above his head in surrender. Jonathan was slowly inching his way back, trying to put as much distance between him and the officers. Just as Evan was about to make his way over to him, he saw the man glance over at the table next to him. Evan looked over to see what the man was looking at.

There was a gun. Mere feet away from him and Evan's heart skipped more than just a beat. At the same time, Jonathan backed up onto the light, causing for it to fall and startle everyone.

"I said freeze! I will shoot!" Evan exclaimed in panic.

"Fucks sake don't shoot man," Jonathan spoke nervousness apparent in his voice.

"Don't test my aim fucker!"

"I'm not going to hurt her," Jonathan tried to reason but all his pleas fell on deaf ears when the hostage started screaming, asking the officers to help her.

Evan slowly put his gun back onto his holster, "C'mon, it's not worth it. It's over for you."

Tyler quickly stepped in front of Evan and cautiously approached their long-time suspect. Jonathan kneeled down and Tyler quickly cuffed his hands behind his back, leaving Jonathan without any time to react. Evan freed the hostage, assisting the shaken up victim on the way out. As he was walking, he looked back at his partner and the so-called-trapper once more and from what he could make out in the dark, sinister blue eyes were trained on him and he felt a chill run up his spine.

Evan turned away, "We finally caught him." he muttered under his breath.

 

 

 _"The hunt for the trapper came to a dramatic end tonight as police from the third precinct arrested their primary suspect: Jonathan Smith,"_ the newsreader reported, _"Smith is wanted in connection with a string of grisly murders that has gripped this city and claimed the lives of countless of first response police officers, including Becky Marney who we all used to be familiar with. More on this story as it develops."_

 

 

 ...

 

 

"Ladies and gentlemen, the accused, Jonathan Smith, is guilty. Of that, there is no doubt. Your job is simply to determine how he is punished," The attorney, Ryan Maskirovat, exclaimed for the entire court to hear, "This man, this so-called Trapper killer has terrorized our community with his brutal murder spree. Booby-trapping his victims so our first responders became the victims themselves."

"Thinking about Becky?" Tyler whispered to Evan who was sitting next to him, seemingly in deep thought.

"Yeah. Just can't help but agree with Mr. Attorney over there."

"Fair enough." Tyler shifted his focus back to the scene.

Ryan was pacing slowly as he spoke, "These innocent people were targeted for no other reason than to play out Jonathan Smith's sick game," he stated with an obvious tone of dislike laced in his voice, "But, he has confessed to every single one of these crimes so I ask that the court consider Jonathan Smith's voluntary confession of his crimes considering he has spared the victims' families a prolonged trial."

Evan narrowed his eyes in response to what he was hearing and he looked over to Tyler, "No requests for a death sentence huh?" Tyler only hummed in response.

"In doing so, he has demonstrated a glimmer of remorse. Therefore, it is my recommendation that Jonathan Smith be spared the Death Penalty and instead, be sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. Thank you." Ryan offered and half of the courtroom were shocked into silence. A death penalty seemed like a fitting consequence considering what Jonathan's done and everyone was taken aback by the well-known attorney's proposal.

"Ryan... he sounds a lot like Felicity," Tyler whispered.

"Ms. Graves? Hm, never knew you two were on a first name basis," Evan teased and the other rolled his eyes.

"Don't tease me about a dead girl you fuck."

"Jonathan Smith," The judge, Daithi de Nogla started, "you have committed crimes of such a depraved nature that this court has no alternative but to sentence you to death by lethal injection."

As the judge made his final call, he saw the attorney's face fall in disappointment.

"This court is adjourned."

 


	2. Five Years Later.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 48 hours before the execution of the accused Jonathan Smith, Ryan Maskirovat has a chat with Jonathan himself and tries to convince Judge Nogla to allow Smith's temporary release into police custody.
> 
> (WARNING: CHAPTER IS DIALOGUE HEAVY)

**_"I am Ray Weaver, and this is The Crawl."_ **

The audible humming of the car engine and the voice of the radio host filled the silence inside the car as Evan drove to his workplace. 

 ** _"Let's kick it off tonight with our very own homegrown villain: Jonny Smith, The Trapper,"_** The Radio Host exclaimed with a hint of excitement in his voice and the Asian detective couldn't help but cringe in response. Sure, Smith might've been the talk of the city before he was arrested but after the broadcasted news report regarding the infamous Trapper, the case has gotten worldwide attention. Ever since that night five years ago, the unnecessary hype hasn't dwindled down one bit. 

_" **Sucker's been on death row for five whole years and Mr. Trapper's only got 48 hours left on our big blue marble, so I thought hey, did you know one of the victims?' Phones are open. Caller One, you're on."**_

_'Five years huh? It's been a breeze,'_ he thought to himself.

 _ **"Hey, so... Yeah, man. From my point of view, they couldn't fry this son of a bitch hard enough you know?"**_ Evan knew that these civilians didn't know shit about what the police had seen during the Trapper's murder spree. Them talking as if they did should've irked him just a little bit but Evan couldn't help but agree. There were many unspeakable things that Jonathan has done, none of them nice.

_**"He got messed up as a kid but that's still no excuse to take it out on our finest boys in blue."** _

_**"I hear ya, but it's not like our cops got the best reputation out there y'know?"**_ The radio host chuckled, **_"I mean, look at Fong for one. Promotion to Homicide, medal, the works. He's on top of the world but turns out he's filthier than the rest of us."_**

There were pros and cons about your hard work being acknowledged to the public, most of them are the latter and this was one of them. Someone's bound to take the piss out on a successful person and Evan didn't understand why petty rumors were spread everywhere simply because he did something good.  
Evan just rolled his eyes in response, shit people will always talk shit.

_**"Took after his mentor, Becky Marney. Mishandling Evidence, Improper Conduct, Who knows what else?"** _

"Assholes. That's a dead person you're talking about there," Evan muttered under his breath and turned off the radio, deciding he's heard enough shit for one day.

The car ride to the department was silent afterwards.

 

...

 

"Good morning, everyone," Sergeant Brian Hanby greeted and called everyone over, "Caught another pair of John Does this weekend, we're quickly racking up names on this board," he says as he erases two pairs of names on the wanted list. Evan sits down on his seat next to Tyler, listening intently to what his Superior has to say. "And I gotta tell you, unsolved cases don't exactly uphold the reputation we've built here in the third so we need to work fast."

A familiar voice behind him spoke up, "Just put Mr. Houdini on the case. I hear that Fong's got a knack for making things disappear," Marcel Cunningham, a fellow detective let out a snarky remark and Evan shook his head in response.

"Son of a bitch," he mumbled.

Brian rolled his eyes, "Detective Cunningham, I'll pretend you didn't just say that" with a glare sent Marcel's way, Brian dismissed the group and they all scattered around the office to get on with their respective tasks. Evan pushed past Marcel with a glare, bumping into him intentionally as he walked away.

Just as he was about to sit down in front of his computer to get on with paperwork, he was stopped by Tyler.

"Just ignore him, Evan."

"Cunningham?" The detective asked rhetorically.

Tyler nodded, "Everyone knows he's only being an asshole to you because you're the biggest target."

"Glad to know my accomplishments earned me something," Evan rolled his eyes. 

"So uh, you doin' okay?" Tyler asked in concern.

Evan shook his head in response, "Not really. I feel like it's some big cosmic joke. That dick has my future in his sweaty little hands."

"I know how you feel, but just lay low. It'll all blow over soon."

"Thanks, mom," Evan responded sarcastically and this earned a chuckle from the taller officer. Tyler soon retreated back to his seat and Evan walked over to the coffee machine, eager to get some caffeine in his system.

"Detective Fong, can we have a word in my office?" for the umpteenth time that morning, Evan was interrupted once again and this time by the Sergeant. Despite the slight annoyance, he complied and set his cup down the table then walked towards the Sergeant's office.

"Look, I'm not supposed to comment on internal affairs in the office but, if it starts affecting my best detective..."

Evan frowned, "I'm sorry, sir," he said as he anxiously fumbled with the hem of his shirt.

"Don't be," Brian smiled warmly, "You're a great cop, and I have no doubts that all the accusations are false. The facts speak for themselves."

Evan's heart swelled in pride and a grin fought its way up to his face, "Thank you for believing in me, Sergeant."

"Pressure's a bit much innit?"

Evan blinked in slight confusion, "Sir?"

"Trapper's execution is in 48 hours. I know it's a heavy load knowing you sent someone to death row but I don't want that to be a distraction."

"Far from it, knowing that he's on death's door is what gets me up in the morning."

"Better than a cup of coffee?"

"Almost," Evan smiled and walked back outside to the small kitchen, the smell of coffee hitting his nose as he sighed in satisfaction.

 

 

...

 

 

"I got your message, I'm heading to see your client right now," Ryan scratched his neck as he responded to his fellow attorney, Felix Kjellberg.

 _"Sorry I couldn't make it back to town,"_ Felix sheepishly apologized and Ryan just chuckled, shrugging it off.

"It's whatever. Not all that keen on seeing Jonathan Smith without his attorney present though." He said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

_"Don't worry, I know. Thank you for talking to him so quickly."_

"Poor guy doesn't have a lot of time left does he?"

Felix audibly sighed in disappointment, _"He doesn't."_

Ryan swiped his visitor card on the gate and unlocked it. The ambient surroundings in the corridors gave him the chills and everything about his surroundings screamed 'danger'. This wasn't a nice place, it was hostile and cold and Ryan could probably blame it on himself for being way too empathetic but he didn't think that anyone deserved to spend time confined in here.

Well, the trapper was an exception.

"Tell me a bit about him?" he asked.

 _"Well..."_ Felix started, _"He can be... a bit of a tough nut to crack. Just be strategic."_

"What do you want me to do?" Ryan hesitantly as he looked at the door numbers, looking for Jonathan's.

_"You need to get him to talk about Luther John."_

Out of curiosity, the Caucasian man asked, "Who's Luther John?"

 _"It's better you hear it from Smith,"_ Felix answered dismissively, _"Just make sure that you're ready to listen if he's got something to say."_

"Alright. I'm in front of his door now, I'll talk to you later."

_"Okay, thank you."_

As the call ended, Ryan stuffed his phone into his back pocket and pulled the door open. He was greeted by the sight of a bored-looking man with the same black hair and piercing blue eyes; he was surprised to see that despite the harsh conditions in jail, the man didn't look a day older than he did in the courtroom when he was sentenced to death by the Judge five years ago.

Ryan still couldn't forget that day. He tried everything in his power to stop what he believed was a wrongful execution but his efforts were all in vain.  
The disappointment is still just as raw compared to what it was a few years back.

"Good afternoon," Ryan smiled and greeted Jonathan politely.

"Hello."

Ryan set his briefcase down on the free space next to him and pulled out a pen and his notebook to write notes down in case he needed to. He sat down on the barely comfortable chair and started the interrogation.

"Your attorney says you have something to tell me."

"No one believes me though," Jonathan pouted in response and if it was any other time, Ryan probably would've found the man cute, "I used to blame whatever entity was out there for what happened."

"At Las Palmas? The orphanage?" Ryan enquired and this earned a nod from the other man.

"We were just kids, we trusted them, but I'll try to forgive 'em. They're going to hell anyway."

The tone in Jonathan's voice sent chills running up his spine and Ryan felt the slightest bit threatened. This man who looked way too young and innocent to be 30 could probably put his basic defense skills to shame, he knew that he was skating on thin ice and if he wasn't careful, it might cost him his life.

"If I'm gonna go out, I ain't going out a liar," he growled.

"Then tell me the truth," Ryan demanded.

Emotion reflected off of blue orbs as he looked into Ryan's hazel ones, "I did not kill anybody."

Ryan glared at Jonathan, not buying his story, "Listen, I believe in my duty and that is to listen to what you have to say but that window is closing fast, so speak up."

"It was Luther. My best friend at the orphanage, and he killed 'em."

"You know what I think?"

"What?" Jonathan asked, impatient.

"I think you just realized you're running out of road so you're buying yourself a little extra asphalt." Ryan stated as a matter-of-factly.

"No, no. That's not it."

"You take a nifty little nobody to take your seat on the stainless steel ride but there's only one problem: He doesn't exist."

Jonathan smirked in response, "Oh he exists alright."

Ryan tapped his fingers at the table, "Where is he?"

"Somewhere out there, creepin'. He escaped the orphanage and I found drugs, been high from the moment I got out. Then a couple years, centuries, fucked if I know. He tracks me down online, fucker kept messaging me, bringing up shit from the orphanage."

Ryan listened intently, trying to pick out whatever Jonathan was saying to try and hopefully scrape some information from him.

"He said he had a fitting punishment for 'em. So we made an arrangement, I rat myself out, I take the heat off him. Spend a couple of months inside and them boom! Trapper strikes again," Jonathan laughed and he scratched his head, "Can't be me 'cause I'm in here, makes sense right?"

"Pretty convenient."

"Convenient? Convenient is Father Fischbach running an orphanage! You have no idea what it was like in there."

Ryan bit his lip and looked down in guilt, whatever he and this Luther guy went through didn't sound pleasant from the way he was talking about the place he grew up in.

"The Playroom. It's what he called it but he was the only one having fun in there. Cops never found it?"

"No, I don't even think the orphanage is still standing after the fire."

"Well then go see for yourself."

Ryan pinched the bridge of his nose, the story seemed too convenient but he's had years of experience with troubled people like Jonathan and his instincts are telling him to believe whatever he was listening to. ' _It's instinct for us to do what we feel is right but logical explanations lead to rational choices but not necessarily good outcomes,'_ Ryan clicked his tongue, _'What do I do?'_

"I just hope none of you are dumb enough to regret executing me," Jonathan scoffed.

"Fine, where is he?"

"Now? No idea."

"Well we need to find him, we gotta start someplace."

"I can... draw you a map."

Ryan eyed the man suspiciously, "You gonna draw me a treasure map?"

"I can lead you in the right direction."

Something about the sudden shift in personality bothered Ryan and he had a feeling that if he lent the man his pen, something terrible would happen, to say in the very least.

Ryan narrowed his eyes, he didn't trust him.

"Let's say you're telling the truth. You don't know where he is now, sounds to me that he's left you high and dry."

"I know what Luther's like, the kinda places he hangs around. We could go together, check it out."

"You gotta give me more than that, or you're not going nowhere."

Jonathan licked his lips, "Is that an invitation? Because I sure wouldn't mind giving you what you want."

If looks could kill, Jonathan would be thrown into the sea right about now judging from the hateful look the attorney is giving him.

After a couple of seconds without words being exchanged between the two, something inside Jon snapped, "Fucking hell I can't do this anymore!" Jonathan yelled and slammed his fists on the table, "I'm not supposed to be here! It wasn't supposed to go like this!"

"Smith, stop it," Ryan warned but the man on the other end of the table didn't listen.

"He told me I'd be out by now. He fucking promised," he gritted his teeth as he fisted his hair in his hands.

Ryan furrowed his brows, "Listen, I'll look into Luther John and see what we can find about him, but even if it's true..." he looked away from Jonathan, "we may be a day too late and a dollar too short... I'm sorry," He mumbled and sympathy spilled through his words. 

Jonathan opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted when an alarm rang inside the room, indicating that it was the end of their meeting. Ryan quickly packed away his things and stuffed them in his briefcase then stood up and made his way out of the room, sparing one last glance at Jonathan. He felt pity for the man, he really did. Death penalties were harsh and sometimes, unnecessary which was why Ryan protested against it in the first place.

The metal door closed behind him as he walked away from the room. He fished his phone out and dialed the Swedish man's number to fill him in on what happened.

 _"Hey, how'd it go?"_ Felix asked, raring to hear what the other attorney had to say.

"How do you think?" Ryan sighed.

_"I got a report back on Luther John, he was at Las Palmas the same time as my client, but he died in the same fire that closed it for good."_

Ryan scratched the back of his neck and took a deep breath in, "Look, Felix, I know where you're going with this and it's not gonna work. There's no way they're letting Jonathan out, it's too flimsy."

_"I know, but that's not what I'm after."_

The response brewed confusion in Ryan, "Then why bring me out here?"

_"If you tell the judge about Luther John, maybe he'll grant Smith a temporary release and help the cops track him down."_

Ryan could feel a headache coming. Why did everything have to be so complicated? Jonathan was set to be executed in 48 hours and five years ago, there were no complaints against the inevitable so why did another suspect come into play five years too late?

"Felix, it's too late."

 _"It could lead to an appeal,"_ Felix suggested, sounding hopeful.

"All we're doing is delaying the inevitable," Ryan said and they both knew he was right. He hated it when Felix sounded defeated but in a situation like his, there was no use beating around the bush.

_"Luther John is reasonable doubt, Ryan."_

"I never wanted the death sentence," Images from the courtroom five years ago popped up into his mind and he frowned even more, "but I just don't think it's enough to prevent it from happening."

_"Smith is not a good man, but he's not what we're looking for. If he dies then the Trapper's still out there."_

"I... yeah, I guess I can trust your judgment. Let's take it to Judge Nogla, see what he says."

 _"Thank you Ryan!"_ the hopeful tone is back in Felix's voice and the corners of Ryan's lips lifted up slightly.

"Thank me once this is done."

 

 

...

 

 

As soon as Ryan left the Death Row, he immediately drove down to see Judge Nogla, sending him a text beforehand warning the said Judge that he's going to talk to him about something urgent. When Ryan arrived at the courthouse, he found his way to Nogla's courtroom without wasting any time.

"Thank you for seeing me so quickly." 

Nogla arranged his files quickly and stuffed them into his bag, "Mr. Kjellberg already filled me in on the whole Luther John business."

"Yes, sir. I uh, just spoke with Mr. Smith," Ryan informed and the Judge let out a breathy laugh.

"Are you buying his story?" Nogla questioned Ryan, giving him a sharp look.

"I have my doubts, but there was a record of a Luther John at the orphanage, same time as Smith."

Nogla zipped up his bag and descended from the podium, "Has anyone spoken to John?"

Ryan shook his head, "He's been presumed dead for years." 

"That's a bit of a stretch, don't you think?" Nogla let out a small chuckle though there was no humor in it, "Well even if John exists, how can you be sure Smith can track him down?"

"I'm... I'm not sure what the truth is, but if we want this case spot on, we need time to look at this from every angle."

"And you're saying we need to release a convicted killer to find it?"

Ryan gripped the handle of his briefcase tighter, he was sure he was definitely playing with fire here, "Yes. Just long enough to lead the police to Luther John."

Nogla smirked, impressed, "You uphold your reputation Mr. Maskirovat. You're damn full of surprises, if you were in my position, what would you do?"

"I think that he can help us. If you grant him a single day released under armed guard, we may save an innocent from an unwarranted execution," Ryan answered confidently and held his ground.

Nogla nodded in response, "Alright, I'm going to grant Jonathan Smith a temporary release into police custody, but only for three hours. No more."

Ryan sighed in relief for the first time that day, "That's good enough. Thank you so much."

 

 

...

 

 

Ryan immediately pulled his phone out as soon as he got into his car and called Felix for the third time that day.

He was glad that he caught Nogla in a good timing otherwise their little chat could've turned out differently. It was a big surprise to him that the Judge released Jonathan considering that the man was only a few hours away from getting executed.

"Hey Felix, you're not gonna believe this."

 _"He actually went for it?"_ Felix said, disbelief apparent in his voice.

"Yeah, surprising isn't it?" Ryan chuckled, prideful of his job well done.

 _"Nice work Ohmie,"_ Felix teased which received a 'hey!' from Ryan in return.

"Don't call me that! but anyway, I'm gonna head over to the Homicide department and let them know."

_"Good call. Thank you, Ryan, you're a great help."_

"Don't thank me yet."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case some of you don't know, Felix Kjellberg is PewDiePie and he plays the role of Lana Petty, Delirious' attorney.  
> I was originally going to have either Bryce or Minx play Lana's role but I didn't feel like writing about them
> 
> ps; 3000 words in a chapter? wtf lmao i guess i love this fic too much.


	3. Custody

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Attorney Maskirovat heads over to the Third Precinct's office, events from five years ago is once again dug back up much to Evan's dismay but maybe something good can come through with a little bit of negativity every now and then.
> 
> Also Marcel's an asshole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is more unedited than Daithi's videos. if you spot a mistake then i'm sorry :P i'll try to fix it as soon as I can.

  * **Homicide Department - 13:47  
****43 Hours Until Jonathan's Execution**



 

 

**...**

 

 

"This is ridiculous. The case against Smith was air-goddamn tight," Marcel glared at Ryan, hearing that it was him who convinced the Judge to grant Jonathan a temporary release, "Nailed him with a hostage for god's sake! Had to be one hell of a fairy tale you made up to spin his head around."

Ryan rolled his eyes in response, he hasn't even been the room for 10 minutes yet this officer was already irritating him, "Sorry to spring this on you, but we all want the same thing. How would you feel if you put someone to death then later found out they didn't deserve it?"

"Oh, Jonathan Smith deserves it. Of that I am sure," Marcel shot Ryan an obviously fake smile and Ryan bit his lip, physically trying to stop himself from saying something that he would later regret.

Ryan quickly regained his composure and decided to ignore Marcel. Getting back at the man with a snide remark would ease his annoyance but he knew better; he needed to be the better man between them.

"Who exactly was Luther John? Did he come up at all during the investigation?"

Marcel nodded, "Uh-huh. There was a Luther John at the orphanage. But you know what?" he scoffed, "Sorry fucker was killed in the fire that shut the place down so story kinda ends there."

As soon as Marcel finished talking, Evan quickly joined in the conversation, sensing the irritation coming from Ryan, "Smith's got a good timing, you don't think he's full of it?" he says, ignoring Officer Cunningham's previous statement. 

"I'm just covering every possibility. Judge Nogla wants this thing double-airtight and as secure as possible. He's granting a temporary release into police custody to help find Luther John," Ryan then turned to look at the Sergeant and spoke to him, "Smith tells me that Fischbach had a secret room at the orphanage and called it the playroom. Did that come up in the investigation, at all?"

Brian shook his head, "Nah, I'd remember something like that. It didn't come out in the report."

Ryan nodded, "Oh alright. I was wondering, uh, Mr. Patterson. When you analyzed the bodies of the Trapper's victims, did you find anything that might be a potential lead to another suspect?"

Luke exhaled deeply, "I don't think there was but I could be wrong, that was five years ago after all."

"So, no reason to suspect anyone but Smith?"

"I do recall only submitting a partial analysis of the evidence because Mr. Smith confessed so, it seemed open and shut,"

 _'Fair, but why is this strange?'_ he thought to himself. "So there was more evidence left to analyze?"

"Yup, trace signatures."

"Do you have access to all that data?" Ryan asked and just as Luke was about to respond to the attorney, Marcel interrupted the conversation.

"Now just hold on a goddamn second. How can you even entertain the idea of letting that fucker get out of his cell?" He sent death glares over at Ryan's way once more, "He had motive! He went through hell at Las Palmas, hated cops and we even found his hair at another crime sce-"

"The RV park, right? That was the social worker?" Ryan smirked and turned away from Marcel but not without giving him a dirty look, "And Detective Fong, would you mind walking me through that night again?"

"I'll walk you through it in two words;" Marcel once again butted in, "Missed opportunity."

"Look," Ryan narrowed his eyes at Marcel and tapped his fingers lightly on the table, "None of us need a running commentary here. I'd like to hear it from Detective Fong, if you don't mind," Ryan smiled warmly at Evan, vaguely remembering working with him five years ago.

"Uh, sure," he smiled back, "Michelle Smith was a social worker at the Las Palmas orphanage and no, she's not related to him but anyway, we didn't know Jonathan had her."

 

_"We got a 10-8 at Hog Haven Trailer Park out by the highway. A break-in, in progress."_

 

"I was closest to the scene so I went solo," Evan sighed, "Should've been a piece of cake but that night, everyone was on the pins and needles because the Trapper was recking more havoc than usual." Evan paused, frowning at the unpleasant memory, "and anyone of us could've been next."

 

* * *

 

 

  * **5 Years Ago...  
****Three Weeks Prior To Jonathan Smith's Arrest.**



 

 

As soon as Evan stepped out of his car, he shivered as the light rain poured over him, dampening his clothes. He turned his flashlight on, directing the light towards the surrounding areas of the trailer trying to be as cautious as possible; so far, so good but Evan didn't trust it one bit.

Evan stopped in front of a small flight of stairs and looked around once more before going in. The wood creaked underneath his feet and the hinges squeaked as he pried the door open slowly. As he entered, he shone his flashlight in the direction of the living room and was greeted by footsteps on the carpet that he knew didn't belong to him.

'So there was somebody in here,' he thought to himself. Aside from the footsteps, there wasn't really anything else that caught his attention. He looked around the living room a bit more to make sure he wasn't missing anything else. When he directed his flashlight to the center table, he saw what seemed to be bomb-making equipment on top of it.

Evan's stomach dropped and a lump formed in his throat but despite his building anxiety, he wanted to finish searching the room.

Not too long after he found the bomb equipment, he spotted a duffel bag in the corner beside the television. He crouched and searched the bag, thinking he would find something that would be of some use but frowned in disappointment when he only found scissors and a pair of wire cutters. 

Sweat rolled down his face as his heart pounded in nervousness, he knew that it was somewhat irrational of him to be nervous but had a bad feeling about this.

Evan took a deep breath in, 'Calm down, you'll be fine,' he told himself but his gut feeling was proven right when out of nowhere, a muffled scream filled the silence for a couple of seconds before fading away. The scream startled Evan slightly and he instinctively pulled his gun out of his holster, pointing it in the direction where the sound came from.

Across from the living room was a small hallway, one door on both sides and a door on the end. As Evan got closer to the last door in the hallway, distressed cries seemingly coming from a woman got louder and past the noise, he could faintly hear a sharp ticking sound. Evan tensed slightly as he peeked inside the doorway; the room was almost pitch black, the only source of light inside the room came from the full moon outside of the window.

"Oh fuck," Evan whispered as he realized the circumstances that the victim and himself were both in. He pushed the door open and saw the woman tied up on the bed with a gag on her mouth, but that wasn't nearly the worst part.

He untied the gag and the victim breathed in deeply as cries slipped past from her lips.

"Help! Help me! Oh god..." The social worker cried.

"Shh, okay, just keep quiet and be calm," he whispered, "Who did this to you?"

She shook her head in confusion, "I don't know, I was in a bar then I woke up here. Please tell me what's happening!"

'Did someone spike her drink?' Evan thought as a faint ticking sound caught his attention. He eyed the bomb strapped on the woman's waist for the first time since entering the room then it suddenly hit him, "Fuck," he muttered under his breath.

00:28

"Alright, I'm gonna remove the timer quickly, just stay calm," Evan requested but he knew that both of them wouldn't be calming down anytime soon.

"Please get me out of here!" 

"Alright! Alright," Evan looked around trying to look for something that would help him cut the belt. Just as he was about to take a gamble and look through the drawers hoping that he could find something, he remembered the wire cutters he found earlier inside the duffel bag. Evan bolted out of the room as fast as he could without wasting time.

His heart pounded. The realization that this was a life-threatening situation was starting to sink in but it wasn't only his life in danger. He feared the victims' death more than his own.

"Hurry!" the brunette cried and Evan rushed back into the room as fast as he could, nearly tripping over his own feet. From where he was, he could hear the ticking sound going faster.

00:20

Evan kneeled down beside the bed and tried his best to cut through the thick belt with the rusty cutters.

"Fucking hell," he muttered under his breath, "Come on, come on."

"Oh god!"

00:10

"Fuck, please," he continued cutting and cutting and eventually, Evan managed to get the bomb off Michelle.

00:05

Evan's heart raced as he ditched the bomb outside of the small window and the sound of broken glass hitting the wooden floor filled his ears. As soon as he got rid of the explosive, he made his way over to the crying woman and got on top of her, using his body as a shield to protect her from the explosion.

Evan could only hope he threw it far enough.

00:01

The bomb explosion shook the entire trailer up and Michelle let out a cry of fear.

 

* * *

 

"It wasn't the kind of thing I'm eager to repeat," Evan scratched the back of his head and sighed. Somewhere deep inside, he knew that Marcel had a point. If he was there quick enough then maybe he would've saved everyone the trouble and maybe they wouldn't have wasted three more weeks trying to apprehend him.

Brian could only smile sympathetically, "Smith must've seen you coming. Got out before finishing the job."

"Yeah, split so quick he left his gear behind," Evan smiled in disappointment.

"It was very brave of you to go in there alone," Ryan addressed the unmistakable bravery that Evan displayed and the Detective couldn't help but blush.

Evan looked away, "I was, er, just doin' my job," he brushed away the sudden urge to grin as he made eye contact with Ryan. A few seconds of silence hung in the air after the small exchange between the two but was broken when the attorney cleared his throat.

"And um, how did you link Smith to the scene?"

"I discovered that Mr. Smith had left a hair at the scene," Luke responded, "We ran the DNA throughout criminal database and he came up as the match."

Ryan hummed, "He was already in the system?"

Evan chuckled lightly, "Guy's been in and out of the station so many times he practically had a door with his name on it. When we got told that he'd been spotted at a squat, we just happened to be driving by."

"Shit just seems to fall in your lap, Detective," Marcel rolled his eyes and the comment earned a scoff from Evan.

"You know it's just a blow to your ego knowing I was the one who caught him, your point?"

Marcel raised both of his hands up in a mocking surrender, "Someone's got a temper."

Ryan internally groaned as he shook his head, "Can we ease up on the pissing contest? Let's at least try and pretend to work together," he said, emphasizing the word 'try.'

It was clear who Ryan was talking about and the tension in between him and Marcel doubled as they continued to glare at each other, hoping for the other one to keel over and die right then and there.

Marcel scowled and Brian cleared his throat, eager to stop the two from trying to kill each other with looks alone.

"The Trapper case shook everyone up. I think we've poured enough salt on old wounds for now," Fortunately, the statement earned nods of agreement from everyone on the table, "I think that about covers it. Anything else we can help you with Attorney?"

Ryan shook his head and shot Brian an understanding look, "Alright, I've heard enough. Thank you for hearing me out."

"And thank you for eating up everyone's afternoon's with your nonsense."

 

What an asshole.

 

As soon as Ryan headed out of the door, he sighed in relief. Marcel Cunningham was apparently good at what he does but he was slowly convincing the attorney to do a background check on him.

"Hey, Ryan!" he heard footsteps jogging up slowly to him as a familiar voice called out his name.

Ryan turned around to face Evan, "Yeah?"

"I just wanted to say that-"

"Cunningham's a dick?" Ryan cut Evan off and the other man scratched the back of his head.

"Eh, yeah."

Ryan chuckled, "Don't sweat it. You were really helpful."

"I try to be," Evan winked and Ryan couldn't help but giggle more.

"Say, do you have any plans tonight? 'Cause I got a huge stack of files over at mine and I was wondering if you could help me with that," The attorney asked and Evan blinked in confusion for a good few seconds before the question sunk in.

"Sure thing, I can help you with that."

"Perfect," Ryan reached into his wallet and pulled out a business card with his contact details on it. He handed it to Evan, making eye contact with him as he handed him the card, their fingertips touching and sending electricity running through them for a brief moment. 

"Call me?" Ryan asked, though already knowing the answer.

Evan could only nod in response and walked back to the office as quickly as he could as soon as Ryan turned around. When he sat down on his computer, Tyler peeked his head over from behind his monitor and eyed Evan suspiciously.

"Is there something on my face?" Evan asked as he noticed his partner staring at him.

"Yeah, you have the look of a person who knows he's about to get laid tonight."

As if it were possible, the red tint on Evan's face went a shade darker. If the thought didn't cross his mind before, it surely did now.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHIT CHAPTER HYPE BABYYYYYYYYYY
> 
> I'm so sorry that the update took ages to come out, I had a bit of a writers block but anyway, here it is presented to you on a silver platter. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing the chapter!  
> It may not have turned out the best but I love it all the same.
> 
> (Also I am looking for someone who is really good at writing and has a lot of free time because I'm in need of an editor or a potential co-writer for this book. If you're interested and willing to commit, please message me and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can.)


	4. Stay The Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Ryan and Evan search through files and analyze them once again like they did five years ago, they both open up their minds to new possibilities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is purely unedited and it's dialogue heavy. Some parts don't make sense but just keep in mind I didn't proofread this beforehand. I'm really busy so I'm sorry for the late chapter.

  * **Maskirovat’s Residence - 21:20**  
**36 Hours Until Jonathan’s Execution**



 

 

...

 

 

"A rat trap huh?" Ryan hummed in wonder as Evan sorted out the crime scene photos that they have collected over the years. 

Evan nodded, "Yeah, found one at each of his crime scenes. It's like some footstep left behind in the sand," he set the photo down on the table and glanced at the attorney, waiting for a response; Ryan let out a breath of disbelief.

"I had no idea." 

Evan shrugged slightly, not surprised by Ryan's statement, "We managed to keep it out of the press so that's understandable," he said as he picked up another photo, this time of a man in his late twenties with brown hair, dyed a vibrant green at the top.

"Target number one: Sean McLoughlin, the undertaker. After he killed him, the trapper rigged a shotgun to the motel door and..." Evan paused and Ryan visibly tensed as he put two and two together, "... the officer who got the call took it in the chest," Evan said as he looked at Ryan in the eyes, "Simple, but messy. Not a guaranteed kill."

Ryan nodded, "Was there anything more on the victim? I mean, he's the only one without a connection to Las Palmas," the question earned a hum from Evan. 

"Smith called it a dry run with a wet noodle. Guess that was his idea of some kinda sick joke," Evan stared at the photo in his hands and sighed, "But then again if he's not the trapper... Well, God damn it," he shook his head and tossed the picture away, feeling anxiety and slight doubt rise inside him. Ryan shot him a look of concern and Evan couldn't help but sigh, "This case is just a gift that keeps on giving."

Ryan scooted closer to Evan and rested a hand on his shoulder, "Evan, do you wanna take a break?" Evan tensed under Ryan's touch and looked at the man in slight shock. Ryan's vibrant green eyes sparkled even in the dim lighting of the living room and Evan's breath caught in his throat. The look Ryan was giving him was so gentle and caring that he couldn't help but simply blush in response as he tried to will away the heat pooling in his cheeks, but it was impossible to do so, not when you're looking at those eyes.

"I-I'm sorry," Evan apologized, noticing that he may have let the question hang in the air longer than he should have, "It's just that, this was all ancient history. Staring at these files again with Jonathan's execution coming up... I just, I don't know...It's been hard to sleep with all this shit running through my head," Evan explained, clearly frustrated but nonetheless, Ryan smiled and nodded in understanding.

"Well the good news is that it'll all be over before you know it," Ryan removed his hand from Evan's shoulder and the Canadian couldn't help but inaudibly sigh in disappointment. His shoulder felt cold and though the touch was uncomfortable at first, he eased into it eventually and that left him wishing that it lasted a second longer.

"Yeah. You're right," Evan looked away and decided to get back on track with the investigation. They couldn't afford to waste time that they didn't have.

He picked up a photo of another victim and grimaced, "Second target, nasty piece of work."

"Oh, this is the one who would beat the kids until you couldn't recognize them."

Evan nodded, "Adam Montoya, orderly at Las Palmas. A couple of years before the orphanage, narcotics had a file on him a mile wide."

"But they couldn't get anything to stick..." Ryan mumbled, slightly familiar with the case.

"Uh-huh. Slippery son of a bitch," Evan said as he picked up his cup of coffee from the glass table and took a sip of it, the bitterness hitting the back of his throat, "The trapper left his body in a pitch black room and rigged the light fixture with a C4. The cop who showed up flipped the light switch and...'let there be light'."

"He's definitely elevating here. I mean his first real kill? More sophisticated, but he wasn't satisfied," Ryan stated as he watched Evan pick up another photo, this time of a man with Asian features and dyed red hair.

"Third target: Father Mark Fischbach, leader of the pack. He was the Chaplain at Las Palmas and the man behind the abuse."

Ryan grabbed the photo from Evan and examined it, "Allegedly?"

"Yeah, allegedly," Evan once again frowned as he remembered the events which transpired a few years back, "Trapper knocked him out, cut him open and rigged him up with explosives to blow if he moved."

"Oh shit," Ryan said, slightly shocked by the brutality.

"Shit indeed, but that's not even the worst part," Evan explained and Ryan's eyes widened slightly, "We got a tape of the whole thing a few days later. The sick fucker made Fischbach kneel in prayer for hours, confessing his sins. When he got what he wanted, he called Sergeant Gonzales."

"Did you know the other two cops?" Ryan asked hesitantly.

Evan nodded meekly, "That was my precinct."

"So... all three of them, and you, a first responder in the botched attempt, all from the third precinct?"

"The murders were in our district," Evan clarified.

Ryan crossed his arms and leaned back on the couch, "How well did you know the other two? I mean, how well did you know the other first responders?"

"Enough to now that I didn't like 'em much. I got out of there as soon as possible."

As Evan said that, something clicked in Ryan's head, "What if the first victims in each incident were just a smokescreen, and the real targets were the third precinct?"

"Huh... Interesting," Evan muttered thoughtfully, "Max and other two responders weren't exactly the best of the boys in blue."

"How so?" asked Ryan.

"The Third precinct had problems. Of the... chemical variety."

Ryan couldn't help but feel a slight tinge of disappointment run through him. Ironic that the law enforcers were the ones breaking said rules.

"They were on drugs?"

Evan nodded, "Yeah. Skyhigh."

"Surprised this never came up in the investigation," The attorney clicked his tongue and Evan could only let out a dry chuckle.

"I'm not," Evan grabbed the photo from Ryan then started arranging the files on the table, "Anyways, you might have something."

Ryan bit his tongue, he didn't know whether or not he should bring up the slight conflict in the department that even he got to witness first hand. It seemed like a touchy topic even for a tough looking guy like Evan and Ryan didn't want to tread on uncharted territory. 

Then again, what was there for him to lose?

"So uh," he started hesitantly, "What's up with you and Cunningham?"

Evan was slightly taken aback by the question but it wasn't like he minded. He set his files down and faced Ryan, prepared to tell the man a long due story.

"Now there's a guy who's got it coming."

Ryan chuckled nervously, "You couldn't even cut that tension with a chainsaw."

The statement earned a sigh from Evan, "He's just got a stick up his ass."

"But why you?"

"Well, for starters, I nabbed the trapper, not him. His pride took a blow and he can't stand it."

"Okay, he's had some time to get over that. Five bloody years," Ryan stated and Evan nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, you'd think. But he keeps messing with me."

"How so?" 

Evan rolled his eyes as he remembered everything that Marcel has done to him just to drive him to the edge, "Just 'cause I'm good at my job and I have a target on my back."

"I'm sure that's not true," Ryan tried to comfort Evan but the detective was having none of it.

"Easy for you to say. No one's here to fight my battles for me."

"No one has it easy in this town, 'kay?"

Evan only looked away in response and got back to cleaning up the desk. No words were exchanged after that; the only sounds that filled the room were the sounds of paper being shuffled around and paperwork being stacked and put away into file cabinets.

Evan quickly glanced over in Ryan's direction from across the room and out of nowhere, he remembered what Tyler said about the attorney earlier that day. He involuntarily blushed as less than appropriate images flashed in his mind and he couldn't help but feel slightly more awkward being in the same room as him.

"Hey, Evan?" Ryan called out and this broke Evan out of his trance.

"Y-yeah?" He stuttered.

"You're checking me out."

As if it were possible, the red hue on Evan's cheeks turned into a darker shade as Ryan stared at him with a playful glint in his eye and he couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

"Oh, uh, sorry," He muttered out.

"It's fine," Ryan shrugged him off, "Anyways, I'll go get some food for us in the kitchen so just hold on a sec."

"No, it's fine, I should get going now."

Ryan pouted, "C'mon, it's raining really hard. Plus I wanna hang out for a little bit, like y'know, normal friends. It's hard to find people that you can get along with, in this line of work."

Evan could only nod and accept the offer and Ryan was more than happy to have him stay at his house. Evan sat down on the comfortable couch and turned the television on to provide some background noise. It's been a while since someone's asked him to hang out, the last time it was Tyler and Brian and ever since then, they've been preoccupied with work but Evan didn't really mind, he was just as busy as them.

Not too long after, Ryan came back into the living room and served two bowls of freshly cooked spaghetti. He sighed in satisfaction as the pleasant smell of Ryan's cooking entered his nose. The scent was mouth-watering and Ryan chuckled as he heard Evan's stomach grumble.

"Hungry?"

"Yup," Evan responded as he dug in the bowl, "Damn, you're a good cook."

"Thank you, I do try."

Before Evan knew it, he scarfed the entire bowl down. Ryan was good at cooking, of that he was sure. He didn't get why the man didn't get a degree in culinary arts instead.

Soon enough, Ryan finished his own bowl and set it down on the glass table, quietly cuddling up to Evan as they watched the TV in silence. Evan was surprised at the sudden touchy-ness but found that he didn't mind it in the slightest. He was starting to get used to it.

"Stay the night?" Ryan whispered in Evan's ear and the detective shivered in response as he felt Ryan's lips ghosting over his neck.

Evan swallowed the lump which formed in his throat and muttered out a quiet, 'sure,' before leaning in to kiss Ryan passionately.

None of them questioned what was happening as they hungrily kissed each other. Ryan gripped Evan's shoulders as he swung his left leg over Evan's lap, not once breaking the contact between their lips as he trapped the Canadian in between the couch and his flustered body. Evan's left hand gripped Ryan's hips whilst the other one formed a fist in his hair.

Ryan pulled away from the kiss and leaned further down to kiss Evan's neck, earning a moan from him as he left a mark.

 

 

Evan was already dreading going to work the next day. He definitely didn't want Tyler to say "See? I told you so."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY I DON'T KNOW WHERE VANOHM CAME FROM OH GOD I DIDNT THINK I'D WRITE IT
> 
> DONT WORRY I'LL GIVE YOU ALL SOME H2OVANOSS AND OHMTOONZ WHEN I GET THE CHANCE
> 
> PLEASE DONT KILL ME I LOVE VANOHM SO MUCH


	5. Until Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From dusk 'till dawn, the Third Precinct constantly has work to do.
> 
> All for the safety of the citizens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who didn't proofread her own work
> 
> THATS RIGHT
> 
> IT'S ME
> 
> I'M BACK AT IT AGAIN

  * **Maskirovat's Residence - 03:29**  
**30 Hours Until Jonathan's Execution.**



 

 

...

 

 

The sound of a phone ringing in the middle of the night made Ryan's ears buzz as he slowly fluttered his eyes open, still feeling hazy from sleep and the events which occurred not too long ago. Ryan turned on his bedside lamp and looked over at his charging phone only to see a black screen.

"Hey, Evan?" Ryan whispered lightly as he gently shook Evan to awaken him.

Evan groaned in response, clearly not happy to be woken up in the middle of the night, "What?"

"Your phone," Ryan pointed to the source of the sound and as Evan read the caller ID, he gently pushed Ryan away, hopping off the bed as quickly as he could and then rushed outside of the bedroom to take the call.

As Ryan heard the door shut, he sat on his bed, sleepy and wondering what the call was about. He really didn't know much about Evan's private life and that worried him. They might've worked together on small cases in the past but they never really did anything... intimate.

What if the person who called was someone special? He didn't want Evan to cheat on his significant other if he even had one, Ryan would be ridden with guilt if he knew that Evan cheated on someone with him.

Ryan frowned as he strained to hear what Evan was saying on the other side of the wall, but, no matter how hard he tried to listen, he only heard a bunch of "yeah's" and "what's." Only a few minutes after Evan took the call, he came back into the room and looked at Ryan, smiling sadly.

Ryan fiddled with the hem of the sheets anxiously. He felt hot under Evan's gaze and he couldn't help but blush. It has been a while since he felt this attracted to a one-night stand, let alone a very charismatic co-worker.

"So... uh," Ryan looked around the room nervously, "What's that call for?"

"It was Tyler, he says that uh... it's about the Trapper case."

Ryan tensed, "Don't tell me..."

"Someone's been rigged and it looks like the Trapper's doing."

Ryan felt his heart drop and he could only nod in response, shocked. Evan quickly picked up his clothing strayed across the bedroom floor and dressed up as quickly as he could.

"Don't worry about it too much, Ryan. You need to rest, we're going to have an eventful day ahead of us."

"Alright," Ryan smiled, but it wasn't a completely genuine one. He was worried for Evan and he couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad's about to happen.

Evan leaned over and kissed Ryan's cheek, "I gotta go now. Crime scene's a bit far away."

Ryan nodded and Evan quickly jogged out in a hurry. Not too long after, he heard the front door shut and he let out a sigh of disappointment despite the small elation in his chest from the kiss.

He picked up his phone and typed up a short message.

 **'you awake?'** he hit send and received a response a few seconds later.

 **'what does your bitch ass want at three in the morning?'** despite not being able to physically hear Luke's voice, he chuckled nonetheless. He read the message in his voice and he felt a sense of endearment run through him.

 **'someone's grumpy,"** he replied.

Well. At least he could always rely on someone to respond to him when he needed him to.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

  * **State Park Cabin - 02:34**  
**55 minutes prior to Evan's phone call.**  
**31 Hours Until Jonathan's Execution**



 

 

...

 

 

 

"This is 125 at the 10-16. Making entry," Bryce quietly acknowledged the dispatcher and looked around him.

He stood in front of a modern-looking cabin, lights illuminating the front porch. There was a slight sheen on the trees from the rain as the water reflected the soft light from the moon. Bryce would've called the scene peaceful and stunning if he weren't on guard, watching out for any slight movement that could alarm him of someone's presence.

"125 acknowledged. Please be cautious, Officer McQuaid."

He put his radio away and pulled his flashlight out, ready to do his job. He walked slowly towards the flight of staircase which led to the front door. Every step he took, the sound of dried leaves crunching underneath his foot filled the empty silence. As he climbed the stairs, the wood creaked under his weight and he couldn't help but click his tongue. 

He decided to ignore the amount of noise he was making and continue walking up. Reaching the top of the staircase, he peeked the corner first, making sure no one was there before rounding it, still as cautious as he was before.

Bryce frowned as he was met by an open door, _'Weird,'_ He thought.

"This is the police," he called out, not necessarily expecting a response, "Anyone here?"

He shone his flashlight inside the cabin and as far as he could tell, there wasn't anything out of the ordinary. It was fairly small and cozy; the small make-shift lounge was to his right and the dining table was situated behind the brown leather couch. The fridge was across from the dining table and by it was an evidently dimly lit hallway which Bryce assumed led to the other rooms in the cabin.

He walked towards it hesitantly and peeked into the first room to his left. He stood in the doorway and fiddled with the light switch which unfortunately didn't work. Just as he was about to walk away from the room, he finally noticed the person who was lying on the queen-sized bed, unconscious with a pillow on top of his face.

Bryce felt bile rise up in his throat and panic settle in, "Oh dear God..."

He slowly walked towards the unconscious man, not necessarily sure what to do, "Sir?" He spoke with a shaky voice, "Can you hear me?"

Beads of sweat started forming on his forehead as he gripped the edges of the pillowcase. Bryce leveled out his breathing before he removed it and as soon as he did, the sound of an angry explosion filled the silence which was now destroyed. The smell of smoke and skin burning pervaded the air and Bryce collapsed as soon as the bomb exploded.

The light which was once in his shining blue eyes faded away into nothingness.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

  * **State Park Cabin - 04:38**  
**29 Hours Until Jonathan's Execution**



 

 

...

 

 

Evan pulled over beside the boundary tapes which circled the area and got out of the car, closing the door on his way out. Another officer standing by, keeping civilians out looked over to see where the sound came from and gave Evan a look of suspicion. Evan quickly pulled out his badge and showed it to the officer and the disapproving look he once had on his face was quickly washed away as he let Evan through.

The Canadian swung his legs over the police tape and looked at the scene of the crime.

"Hey, what's going on?" Evan asked a clearly apprehensive Tyler who was glaring at the building in front of them.

"We got a problem," For the first time in a while, Tyler sounded more anxious than anything else. Evan has known him for a while and has been partners with him for more than just a few years. There was never a case that Tyler didn't approach with confidence and certainty; seeing Tyler act like this worried him.

"What?" 

Tyler's frown deepened, "Victim's a cop."

Evan could only blink in surprise and the look on Tyler's face made it clear that he was just as confused as Evan was despite it looking like he has his head wrapped around the situation.

"What the fuck happened?" Evan chuckled in disbelief.

"We're still trying to put that together," Tyler sighed, "Call came in and there was a body. McQuaid showed up, the body was rigged."

Evan's breath hitched, there was no way.

"Trapper style?" He feared to ask it but there was only one way of finding out.

Tyler's nod confirmed his fears and he felt the weight on his shoulder weigh him down once again. Like the way it did five years ago. 

"Who is it?" Evan asked as anger started to boil up inside him.

He looked away before responding, "It's Marcel."

As the words came out of Tyler's mouth, Evan could feel his mouth go dry and his world quieten. His mind was going a thousand miles per hour and his blood froze. He hated his guts but that didn't mean that he loathed the idea of him falling onto the Trapper's hold any less.

"What? No, that doesn't... that's ridiculous," Pure shock was reflected on Evan's face and Tyler just sighed sadly.

"They're still sorting through the mess," Tyler calmly explained.

Evan looked down at his feet. A part of his brain believed it but the other side refused to accept the fact that Marcel Cunningham, the person who hated him was dead.

Evan raised his head to meet Tyler's stern gaze and then ran up the stairs. No words needed to be exchanged between them. They both knew what the other was thinking.

 

 

...

 

 

Evan entered the room where the crime happened, with Tyler in tow. He noticed the smell of burnt skin and hair surrounding the room and there he spotted Luke beside the bed, examining the corpse and gathering potential evidence from the body.

Luke smiled as he noticed Evan come in, "Hey Fong, sorry but uh, stay clear of my working area for now. Don't wanna contaminate evidence and all."

Evan nodded in understanding and slowly backed away.

"From what we can piece together, seems like Cunningham brought a prostitute," Tyler spoke, hidden disappointment running through his words.

Evan shook his head, "God."

"He brought them back here where they... y'know."

He nodded, "Track her down?"

"We only got a partial description. Twenties, brunette," Tyler informed and Evan had to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

"That can literally be anyone."

"Which is why I said partial," Tyler scratched the back of his head, "He put a whole clip in that wall and didn't hit one thing," Tyler pointed to the wall by Evan, "The only blood here is from Marcel and Officer McQuaid."

"The responder?" Evan asked rhetorically and Tyler nodded.

Evan eyed the body. Blood stained the bedsheets and the carpet surrounding the bed. It must've been one hell of an explosion to rip someone apart like that. As if sensing Evan's train of thought, Tyler spoke up.

"Cunningham's body was rigged. Traps."

"Fuck," Evan muttered audibly.

Evan breathed in deep as he sensed the familiar feeling of an oncoming panic attack start to settle in. He knew that there was no use in dwelling on his thoughts and maybe he should start helping out with the case.

He walked towards the bullet holes which Tyler pointed out to him previously and examined it, thinking of different scenarios that could've possibly led up to Marcel shooting the wall.

"That's a whole clip... If someone cut his throat from behind then why would he fire this way?" Evan turned away, "And if they did it from the front then why would he miss?"

He looked towards the direction of Marcel's body and the glint of a shining object not too far from him caught his eye. From what he could make out in the dim lighting, it was the Trapper's signature mousetrap.

Terror filled Evan's body for the umpteenth time that night, or rather, day and he took a sharp breath in, suddenly overwhelmed by many different emotions he wouldn't dare name, "God, it's really him," he muttered.

"Yeah..." Tyler sounded angry and Evan wasn't surprised. The Trapper's name left a bitter taste in their mouths.

Evan turned his head to his left and for the first time since entering the room, he spotted a crooked picture frame. A part of it was blown off but nonetheless, it was still intact. He fiddled with the frame and just as he expected, there wasn't anything out of the ordinary with the picture frame.

As Evan turned around to walk back, he picked up the sound of a small object hitting the ground but paid it no mind. It was probably just Luke dropping something.

"Anything?" Tyler asked grimly.

"Nothing useful," Evan responded with a lack of enthusiasm.

Silence hung in the air for a few seconds as Tyler started walking away, Evan following him. Tyler stopped abruptly and was caught off guard when Tyler turned around quickly, looking Evan dead in the eyes.

"Evan..." Tyler started, "I'm sorry, but I have to ask you this."

Evan looked back at Tyler, head tilted slightly in confusion.

"Where were you last night?" Tyler asked seriously and Evan widened his eyes slightly.

"I, uh, spent the night... the evening with Ryan Maskirovat. Going over files," Evan stuttered and Tyler narrowed his eyes at him, sensing that there was something he wasn't telling him.

Being under Tyler's suspicious gaze instilled fear in him. Evan knows he's done nothing wrong but everything about Tyler screamed 'authority' and he couldn't help but feel nervous.

"All night?" Tyler questioned what Evan said and he couldn't help but think of the worst-case scenario.

"Yeah. So?" Evan stood up confidently and Tyler could only glare back at him.

"Shit," he cursed under his breath, "You need to be fucking careful how you handle this, Evan."

Before Evan could even ask what the other meant by that, Tyler cut him off.

"You gotta make sure you account for all your whereabouts," Tyler's eyes softened as he realized that he's getting a bit ahead of himself, "Everyone knows how you and Cunningham felt about each other."

"Tyler-"

"Be careful."

Evan could feel tears of anger start to well up in his eyes, "Do you really think I could do something like this? Listen to yourself!"

"I'm not accusing you," Tyler clarified but it was apparent that Evan was having none of it.

"Oh no, but it's the first fucking thing that pops up in there!"

Tyler pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. It was four in the morning and none of them were in the perfect state of mind. This wasn't necessarily the best time to argue about something so important.

"You can't blow up alright? You know what this looks like! Be smart!" Tyler stated as if it was matter-of-fact.

Evan shook his head, confounded by what Tyler had implied, "This isn't happening."

"I wish it wasn't," Tyler followed Evan who angrily stormed out of the room, taking off his beanie aggressively in the process.

"I hated that fucker but I would never do something like this!" Evan blinked away the tears which threatened to spill.

"I believe you," Tyler stated and this only irritated Evan more than it probably should've.

"You shouldn't have to believe me," And with the final word, Evan walked away from his partner.

Tyler being the stubborn man he is, still followed Evan out.

Tyler felt bad for his harshness. They're good friends and he's well-aware of that which is the reason why he warned Evan in the first place. Trouble finds its way into their lives without them inviting it in and the least Tyler could do is to warn Evan about it.

 

"Ev-" Just as Tyler called out to Evan, the sound of another deafening explosion filled the air and they both looked back in panic.

Evan gasped and they both ran back immediately, remembering that Luke was still in there investigating the body. The smell of smoke was thick in the air and they were met with it as soon as they got back in. Rounding the corner towards the small corridor, Luke jumped out of the room, gasping for air and slid down the wall beside the door. Tyler assisted Luke for a few seconds before he looked back on the bed.

"Oh my God," Evan mumbled, fear apparent in his voice.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so done lmao I was planning to do more cool shit with this chapter but I ran out of ideas :/
> 
> Hopefully, this wasn't too disappointing :'D


	6. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan and Evan prepare for their departure and Evan has an honest conversation with his partner, Tyler.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like every time I upload a chapter, I just get worse and worse at writing.  
> If this feels rushed, I'm sorry :/ I tried my best.

  * **Homicide Department - 09:02**  
**24 Hours Until Jonathan's Execution**



 

 

...

 

 

The dreary clouds cast a curtain of shadow all over the city. The rain was heavy against the rooftops of establishments and the cold felt more unwelcoming than anything else. 

Exhaustion weighed down on Evan as he entered the office. Busy chatter filled the air and tension surrounding the room, making it unbearably suffocating for him. In the distance stood Ryan who was quietly talking to Sergeant Hanby about what Evan just assumed was a subject related to the Trapper case with an obviously troubled expression. Ryan sent a knowing, sympathetic smile his way as he noticed Evan come in then quickly turned back to Brian, still engaged in the conversation.

Evan sighed lightly as he quickly put his bag down on his desk, swiftly arranging his things before he slowly made his way over to Brian and Ryan's direction.

As he walked by Luke and Mike who were quietly conversing with each other, he couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

"Hey, Luke, how you holdin' up?" 

The said man frowned, hesitantly replying with a nervous-sounding, "Hanging in there."

He eyed Luke as he walked by. The man had dark circles hanging under his eyes, his face obviously exhausted yet strangely enough, calm. But his body was the opposite. There was obvious tension on his shoulders and everything about him screamed 'apprehensive.' 

Luke had shock written all over him and Evan figured that if were on his shoes earlier, then he would be in the same state too.

"Lot's of extra work when there's a freak on the loose I guess." The comment earned a shrug from the bearded man.

 

As Brian saw Evan approach, he nodded and clapped his hands, getting everyone's attention in the room.

"Okay, okay, guys, settle down," The chatter in the room faded out and the silence which followed made Evan's ears buzz, "Listen up," Brian breathed in deep before he dropped the news on the highly strung detectives, "We lost two cops today. Officer McQuaid and Cunningham, and... it could've been worse," Shock overtook the majority of faces in the room and Evan could feel surprise radiating off the ones who were unaware of the situation, "I know it's gonna be tough on all of us. No one here ever thought we'd see the day Marcel Cunningham went down for the count."

And Evan couldn't help but agree, Marcel might've been an asshole towards everyone he thought was below him (which, unfortunately, was the majority of people he worked with) but that didn't mean his work ethic was sub-par. He was one of the more experienced people in the precinct.

"Let's be blunt. He wasn't one to catch flies with his sugar but he was still one of us."

This earned nods from a few people in the room.

"Um," Evan spoke up, "What about the bomb sir? Was it intended to kill us?"

Brian tensed as the question was raised, "We got lucky, the blast exploded outward from the body so when Patterson moved the body, the bulk of the force hit the wall."

"I'm grateful I still have my hands," Luke chuckled but everybody could tell that there was no humor in it. Evan's frown deepened as he sympathized with heir forensics expert.

Ryan eyed the man sadly, yet relieved that he was miraculously alive.

"Yeah, me too. McQuaid? Not so lucky," Brian stated albeit bitterly.

"So you really think this is the trapper?" Tyler asked.

"Could be this Luther character, could be the hooker," Brian replied, "Unless we have reason to believe otherwise, we'll treat this as a copycat. It's entirely possible Jonathan Smith is pulling strings from behind the bars," he explained clearly and the rest of the team didn't seem to have any objections, "We have District Attorney Ryan Maskirovat here to help with the investigation."

As the Sergeant shifted the spotlight to Ryan, the attorney meekly smiled, uncomfortable with all the attention suddenly on him and looked down at his shoes, anxiously fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

"He's familiar with the Trapper's MO and he's here to help. Please extend him every courtesy," Brian smiled at Ryan, oblivious to the nervousness which overtook him, "Oh and one more thing, he has negotiated to have Jonathan Smith temporarily released into our custody."

Mike clicked his tongue, "Oh C'mon! You believe this?"

"I think it's a valuable lead and I'm gonna follow it through," Brian clarified, tone stern as he glared at Mike who seemed to cower under his gaze, "If anyone has a problem with that, you know where my office is."

Mike rolled his eyes and Brian pointedly ignored him, "Detective Fong, I need you to look into Cunningham's old case files. We're looking for links here and anything we could've missed."

"Alright," Evan tried to restrain the tone of disappointment in his voice, "Sure, I uh, got it."

"Okay, time to get moving. Just remember: Marcel's watching from whatever shit hole he ended up in. Let's do him proud."

Tyler rolled his eyes and quietly mumbled, "Don't think that's how you talk 'bout a dead cop."

Brian went back to his own office and Luke and Mike walked back to their respective cubicles. Evan spared them a glance before he approached Ryan.

"Hi," Ryan smiled shyly as he greeted the Canadian.

"Hey, Ryan," As Evan said his name, a red hue dusted Ryan's cheeks and his heart started to beat just a little bit faster.

Images from last night popped up in Evan's head and he couldn't shake off the sudden urge that he felt to embrace Ryan and keep him in his arms forever. What they had was likely to be a one-night stand, but he missed the feeling of someone next to him as he wakes up in the mornings and most of all, the romantic aspects of a relationship.

"How are you holding up?" Ryan asked, still nervous but concerned about Evan's well-being nonetheless.

Evan shook his head grimly, "It's tough losing one of the ranks, no matter how it goes down," Evan walked out of the office doors with Ryan in tow and made his way over to the vending machines, eager to get something to eat, "But uh, thank you for asking. I'll let you know if we find anything."

Ryan nodded, "They're getting ready to move Smith for his little field trip and I'd like for you to join us," he expressed with an unusual cheerfulness in his voice.

"I'll go and ask Sarge if I can," Evan grinned, glad to have a valid excuse to get out of paperwork.

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Sarge?" Evan knocked on Brian's door quietly and the door was almost immediately opened. Brian gestured for him to come in and sat back down on his office chair, noticeably rushing to get paperwork done.

"What's up?" Brian asked.

"Right, so Ryan wants me to go and join him in escorting Jonathan. I just wanted your permission is all," Evan smiled apologetically, knowing that he was eating away at Brian's time. 

The said man sighed, "Go do whatever, just be careful. Don't let him out of your sights."

Evan inwardly cheered as he thanked the man and rushed out of the office. Just as he was about to walk back to the area where the vending machines were, he saw Tyler walking in his direction, holding paperwork in his hands.

Events from early that morning resurfaced on his brain and suddenly, an intractable annoyance bugged his mind. Evan tapped his shoulder and Tyler turned to look at him with a knowing look in his ocean-blue eyes.

"So, I've been going over it in my head," Evan started and Tyler resisted the urge to click his tongue.

"What?" He said, annoyance lacing his tone.

"You needed an alibi for me, at the crime scene," He stated and Tyler looked at him with a mock-surprise.

"Who woulda guessed!"

Evan groaned in irritation. It was hard to love a man like Tyler who was painfully blunt and sarcastic majority of the time.

"Do you really believe that I'd do something like this?" The Canadian asked, frustrated with the apparent doubt in Tyler's head.

Tyler's eyes softened and the poker-face expression he once had on his face faded away into a stern one, "Evan," he warned.

"I asked you a question," bit back Evan.

Tyler huffed and tried to get past Evan but the other man was having none of it, "Will you let me through Ev?"

"I'm your partner. We have to be honest with each other."

"Honest?" Tyler's voice was raised slightly and Evan was slightly intimidated by the sudden change. It wouldn't have been half as threatening if Tyler wasn't 6 foot tall.

"Fine, here's honest," Tyler exhaled, "Everybody knows about this beef between you and Cunningham. Some of these guys? They don't trust you. You gotta start watching your back," With every word, Tyler stepped closer and closer to Evan and the shorter man was forced to take steps back away from Tyler. It' wasn't a pretty sight when he got aggravated.

"Tyler, you're accusing me of murdering a fellow officer!"

The blue-eyed man could only sigh as he stepped back and regained his composure, "You had motive. I'm just doing my job."

Evan frowned, disappointment plaguing his mind, "You're my partner, Tyler."

"How could I forget?"

"We're supposed to be on the same side here," Evan shook his head in disbelief.

The statement earned him a glare.

"I'm not on your side because I'm your partner, I'm on your side because I'm your friend," He clarified, "And you got more around 'ere than you realize. Why do you think the Irishman put you on case review?"

"He just wants me out of the way."

Tyler pushed past the defeated-looking Evan and ruffled his hair on the way, "Maybe. Or maybe he thinks you'll actually find something," Tyler rolled his eyes and went back into their office.

Evan watched his partner's back as he retreated into the double doors and leaned against the wall for a few seconds, contemplating his relationship with his co-workers.

 

_'Does Ryan trust me?'_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vocabulary:  
> M.O: Modus Operandi.  
> This phrase, often abbreviated “m.o.,” is used by police to describe a criminal's characteristic way of committing a crime.

**Author's Note:**

> In case you're confused about who Becky Marney and Felicity Graves are, they are the two playable characters in the game and I just thought it'd be awesome if I gave them a cameo :P
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> ps; in case you're wondering why ohm's last name is maskirovat, he's said before that he's caucasian and maskirovat is the russian word for 'mask' soooooo


End file.
